IngentaConnect Long-term outcomes of seriously injured children: A study using t...

Authors: Davey, Tamzyn M¹; Aitken, Leanne M¹; Kassulke, Desley¹; Bellamy, Nicholas¹; Ambrose, Jane¹; Gee, Travis¹; Clark, Michele²

Source: Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, Volume 41, Numbers 5-6, May 2005 , pp. 278-283(6)

Publisher: Blackwell Publishing

Abstract:

Objective: To assess the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children 1–2 years after they had sustained an injury.

Methods: Parents of all children who were identified by the Queensland Trauma Registry during their admission to either of the two paediatric specialty hospitals in Brisbane, Australia, for the treatment of an injury, were invited to participate in this study. Parents who consented to participation received a copy of the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ) that required them to provide information regarding their child's HRQoL following injury. The CHQ scores for the study respondents were compared with those of the Australian norms. This study was approved by the relevant ethics committees.

Results: Two hundred and forty-one completed questionnaires were returned. The majority of cases were male (65%) and there was even representation across all age groups. The majority of injuries were considered to be minor (81%) and were predominantly the result of falls and cycling accidents causing mainly fractures and intracranial injury. On the majority of subscales of the CHQ, study participants recorded scores that were statistically significantly below those of the Australian norms. None of the relevant variables collected by the Queensland Trauma Registry were found to predict scores on the CHQ in this study (for those children hospitalized for >24 h).

Conclusion: Injured children are worse off than their Australian counterparts in terms of HRQoL even up to 2 years following an injury. Further research needs to be undertaken to identify factors that predict lower HRQoL in order to reduce the burden of injury on children and their families.

Keywords: outcomes research; paediatrics; quality of life; wounds and injuries

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-1754.2005.00611.x

Affiliations: 1: Centre of National Research on Disability and Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Queensland, Mayne Medical School 2: Occupational Therapy Unit, School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences, James cook University, Queensland, Australia

The full text electronic article is available for purchase. You will be able to download the full text electronic article after payment.

$50.16 plus tax Refund Policy

Long-term outcomes of seriously injured children: A study using the Child Health Questionnaire